April 20, 2009

Vol. 10 No. 16

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Ammo Makers Shed Light on Shortage

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has received numerous calls regarding shortages of ammunition. Many of these callers have expressed concern that the supply of ammunition is not able to keep up with the current demand. In order to provide the best information possible on the issue of ammunition availability, NSSF interviewed ammunition manufacturers across the United States. Here's what has been learned.

Ranges

• $250,000 IN GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR SHOOTING RANGES . . . A total of $250,000 in grant money is available for shooting ranges through NSSF's Shooting Range Grant Program. The program is aimed at helping public and private ranges jumpstart recruitment and retention efforts. "The best way to increase participation is to enhance and promote shooting opportunities at the local level," said Melissa Schilling, NSSF recruitment and retention manager. "We're looking for unique proposals that move the needle on recruiting new shooters, attracting lapsed shooters back to the range and increasing opportunities for active shooters." The projects will serve as pilot programs, which, if successful, can be used by other facilities across the country. Ranges: Learn more about the program at rangeinfo.org/grants.

Politics

• OBAMA SEEKS TO RATIFY ARMS TREATY . . . President Obama has promised to push the U.S. Senate into ratifying an Organization of American States arms treaty. As the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, NSSF is dedicated to protecting the lawful commerce of firearms and ammunition and will continue to monitor and comment on all actions involving likely Senate action to ratify CIFTA -- the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials.

• NEW YORK SENATORS ENDORSE ADDITIONAL GUN-CONTROL MEASURES . . . U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have renewed their support for repealing the Tiahrt Amendment -- legislation that restricts firearms tracing data from the public so as to protect the lives of law enforcement officers and the integrity of undercover operations. The New York duo also called on President Obama to store firearm purchasing records of law-abiding citizens (gun owners who have already passed the required FBI background check) for up to 90 days. Currently, such records of law-abiding gun owners must be destroyed within 24 hours. Law enforcement already has the ability to trace all firearms sales to the first retail purchaser, and retailers are required to keep records of all retail sales for 20 years. This required Federal Form 4473 indicates that the purchaser successfully passed the required FBI records check. The purpose of the instant background check is to verify that this first purchaser is legally qualified to buy the firearm and to then allow the retailer to make the sale. This proposal to store background check records does nothing to assist law enforcement, since the records already exist in a readily traceable form at the retailer level -- and would create a federal registry of firearms purchasers, which Congress has specifically forbidden.

Industry

• REGISTER FOR NSSF SUMMIT BY APRIL 30 FOR SAVINGS . . . Those who register for NSSF's 2009 Shooting Sports Summit by April 30 will receive significant savings. Set for June 1-3 at the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure in Weston, Fla., the summit will bring together leaders from the firearms industry, shooting sports organizations and wildlife conservation groups to take action in confronting an aggressive goal: to increase participation in hunting and the shooting sports by 20 percent over the next 5 years. View registration options.

• IHEA BENEFIT SHOOT TO PRECEDE SUMMIT IN FLORIDA . . . The International Hunter Education Association Foundation Annual Benefit Shoot will be held May 30-31, immediately prior to NSSF's Shooting Sports Summit in Florida. The shoot will be held at Markham Park Range in Sunrise, Fla., just a few minutes away from summit headquarters. Summit attendees are invited to sign up three-person teams for the shoot. Those attending the summit as individuals are encouraged to join up with other individual attendees to form teams. Learn more about the shoot.

• GLOCK REPORTS 36 PERCENT INCREASE IN PISTOL SALES . . . Handgun manufacturer GLOCK Inc. on Thursday announced a 36 percent increase in pistol sales for its 2009 fiscal year compared to the previous year. Coming off of five consecutive years of sustained growth, the company said it is preparing for another strong year in fiscal year 2010.

• CSF BOARD ELECTS THREE NEW MEMBERS . . . The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation's board of directors recently elected three new members: Tom Hornish, COO of Outdoor Channel; Melissa Simpson, vice president of policy and regulatory affairs at PAC/WEST; and Paul Miller, chairman of Freedom Group.

Hunting

• BILL WOULD BE STEP BACK FOR N.Y. HUNTERS . . . New York last year took a step forward for hunters by enacting a law allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to hunt big game. The law was based upon the Families Afield initiative of NSSF, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and the National Wild Turkey Federation. A new bill, however, aims to undo that law by raising the hunting age across the board. Read more in the New York Post.

• SURVEY SHOWS DISPLEASURE WITH CALIFORNIA BULLET BAN . . . Only one in seven big-game and varmint hunters is satisfied with the non-lead bullet requirement for hunting in California's designated condor range, according to a survey developed by a member of the Monterey County Fish and Game Advisory Committee and distributed to sporting goods stores throughout the county. Of the 76 respondents, one hunter said that he was so angry with the regulation, he did not hunt, or even buy a license or game tags, and 46 others expressed unhappiness with the non-lead ammunition, citing expense and other factors. Read more on this survey and learn more from NSSF on this lead-ammo prohibition.

• WMI LAUNCHES HUNTING HERITAGE WEB SITE . . . Following up on a report on its Recruitment and Retention Assessment Survey, designed and prepared with the cooperation of D.J. Case & Associates, the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) has launched a new Web site dedicated to sustaining and enhancing North America's hunting heritage. WMI envisions www.huntingheritage.org to serve as a clearinghouse for information, programs and contacts related to programs that advance safe and ethical recreational hunting. Among the Web site's content is the full recruitment and retention survey report.

• LIMBAUGH PARTNERS WITH HSUS ON AD CAMPAIGN . . . Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has entered into a partnership with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The popular conservative commentator recently cut two radio ads for the group, which has a long history of opposing hunting, fishing and trapping. In the spots, Limbaugh talks about dog fighting and promoting the collaboration between people of faith and animal welfare activists. The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance is spearheading an effort to educate Limbaugh on the true anti-hunting nature of the HSUS in hopes that he will sever his ties with the group.

• OHIO CONSIDERS PROGRAM TO INCREASE HUNTER ACCESS . . . The Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife has teamed up with the Ohio Farm Bureau to consider a pilot program that will help manage local deer herds and expand hunter access. The two agencies are exploring the possibility of developing a Web-based deer hunter access program. Through the program, which would be run on a trial basis in selected counties, landowners could review a searchable database of deer hunters and select hunters to whom they would grant hunting permissions. A survey, available at wildohio.com, will help determine deer hunters' interest in participating in such a program.

• HONEYMOON HUNTERS . . . Two Tennessee newlyweds made headlines over the weekend after wrapping up their weeklong honeymoon at the perfect destination: the turkey woods of east Tennessee. Read the article from Sunday's Knoxville News Sentinel.

Jobs

• INDUSTRY CAREER CONNECTION . . . Visit www.nssf.org/jobs for current employment opportunities in the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry. Employers: Log in to post a job opening.

NSSF's Mission "To promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports." Click here to visit the NSSF Web site and see how we accomplish this mission.

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